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If you are going to teach English in Spain, or simply live there and are a native English speaker, one of the best ways to make extra money is to teach private English classes on the side. This guide will walk you through exactly how to teach private English classes in Spain, so you can start making extra money!
Teaching private English classes may not sound like the most lucrative way to make money in Spain, but it actually is one of the best ways to earn some extra income, especially if you live in a region in Spain with high rent. Many Spaniards are eager to learn English, or at least have their kids learn English, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for you, as a native English speaker, to find private classes.
You will also get paid in cash for your private classes. Yes, this is technically illegal in Spain as you are not paying taxes on this income. However, much of Spain’s economy is in the ‘black market’ because so much is done via cash transactions between people to avoid taxes.
If you are an auxiliar de conversación or teach English in Spain via another program, teaching private English lessons is one of the best ways to earn extra money to live comfortably in Spain. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about how to teach private English classes in Spain!
Read more about how to teach English in Spain!
Overview
Private English lessons in Spain—clases particulares in Spanish—are a privately arranged class where you, the teacher, meet with a student and give private English classes. These classes are typically one hour long and can range from formal test practice to informal conversations.
Since you are the teacher, you can setup the private classes in a way that you are comfortable with. This means that you can choose what age group you want to teach, where you want to teach, and how many people you want to teach at once.
How Much Should I Charge?
Before you start looking for potential students for private classes, you should decide on how much you will charge for your private classes.
The amount you charge for a private English class in Spain is really up to you since you are the teacher and running your private lessons like your own business. Your price per class will depend on where you are living and your qualifications.
For example, if you are living in a small village, you might not be able to charge as much as in Madrid. However, you may be more in demand in more rural parts of Spain as the only English teacher in the area than in a more populated city, like Madrid or Barcelona.
If you are trying to decide where to live in Spain, check out the Guide to the Regions in Spain to see which is is best for you based on rent, location, language, and the Auxiliares de Conversación Program there.
A good idea when trying to decide the price of your classes is to base everything off of a 1-on-1 class for 1 hour. Typically, the starting rate throughout Spain for a 1-on-1, hour-long private English lesson is 15€.
This 15€ per hour rate is something a lot of English teachers try to start at and keep as a minimum as a way to not lower the overall price expected when others are looking to teach. However, if you have more qualifications, like a TEFL or have been a teacher, you can probably charge a little more.
Check the Auxiliares de Conversación Facebook Group to see what the going rates are for other private English classes in your part of Spain.
Read more about What to Bring to Spain as an Auxiliar de Conversación.
If you start at 15€ per hour for a 1-on-1 hour class, you can always adapt your pricing model for having more than one student at a time, the type of class they want, and the distance you are traveling to the class.
An example of this is when Mike taught 2 private lessons where he and the student just walked in the park for an hour and had a casual conversation for 10€ per hour. The price was lower because he did not need to prepare anything, and the park was right by his apartment. It was also a package deal where he taught the woman’s 2 daughters once a week, so it was 2 guaranteed classes in one.
He also taught 3 teenage boys for one hour and charged 24€ per hour. The boys were studying for an exam and worked through a workbook during class. They were well-behaved and studious, so he felt the 24€ was totally worth it.
Remember that when setting your price for private English lessons in Spain, consider the location of the class and the time it takes to travel, how much it will take to prepare for the class, and don’t be afraid to say no if you feel as though the price is unfair or the class just isn’t working out.
Read more about How to Apply to the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program in Spain!
How to Find Private English Classes in Spain
When first moving to Spain and teaching English, finding private English classes to supplement your income might seem daunting and overwhelming. However, we guarantee that you will easily find classes once you get settled.
There are numerous places where you can find private English classes in Spain as a teacher. These resources are both online and in-person. Although, in-person contacts are usually better and less likely to try to cancel last minute as they have a connection to you.
The best place to find private English lessons is to talk to the school you are working at. There will probably be plenty of parents at your school who want private English classes for their kids, or even themselves! Usually, these classes are located right by your school, so you don’t have to travel far. They also give you a great opportunity to build relationships with your students.
The downside to finding private classes through your school is that you might not get many offers immediately after starting. It might take a few weeks or a month to get connected and find classes. If you come in and do a great job, teachers and staff are more likely to recommend you to people.
Another option to find private English classes in Spain if you are in need of money quicker is to look on the Auxiliares de Conversación Facebook Groups. That is the main Auxiliares de Conversación page, and you can find all the different regional groups on there.
Other English teachers in Spain will post private classes that they can no longer teach or offer private classes they can’t take on to other teachers. Using Facebook groups are one of the best ways to find priced English classes for teachers in Spain, especially if you are an auxiliar de conversación or teach with a different program in Spain.
Read more about the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program!
Aside from Facebook groups, another online resource for teachers looking for private English classes in Spain is tusclasesparticulares.com. This website, Tus Clases Particulares—Your Private Classes—is very similar to Craigslist, except it’s all for private classes.
If you create a post with information about yourself, the type of classes you are offering, and your price, people will contact you. However, you will need a phone number, and be prepared to talk on the phone in Spanish! If your Spanish isn’t great, you can always message them back on WhatsApp.
The last way to find private English classes as a teacher in Spain is to talk to people. Join groups, organizations, clubs, or just talk to people when you are out. Once they know you are an English teacher in Spain and are looking to teach private classes, they might be interested or will probably know someone who is.
Usually, these organic encounters, as well as the private classes you can get from your school are the best private English classes you will find.
What to Do in Private English Classes
When you are teaching private English classes in Spain, the student’s goals will determine what you do in the class itself. Some students are studying for a rigorous English exam and want to be well-prepared on specific grammar points, whereas others just want to practice speaking.
If you are teaching children, what you do in your private class will depend on their age and interests as well as what the parents want. Some parents might just want you to babysit and play with their kids while speaking in English. While this is easy, make sure you are prepared to babysit if you take a class like this.
Read about 7 Programs to Teach English in Spain!
When you go to teach a private English class in Spain, you will want to be prepared with at least a few conversation topics as well as another activity, especially if you are teaching kids. A great resource for conversation topics and related questions is itself.org.
Mike is an ESL Teacher and uses this all the time to prepare for his classes because it has so many levels of questions for students to get speaking. They start easier and get more difficult, so it’s great for all levels of English speakers.
A few other great games—and things you should bring to Spain as an auxiliar de conversación—are Taboo, Guess Who, Uno, and Bananagrams. These simple games well get students speaking in English. They are fantastic for reluctant students.
Taboo is obviously for higher-level students, and Guess Who and Uno are for lower-level students or children and practice using colors, commands, and questions. Bananagrams is kind of a wild card because it is great for higher-level students, but it can also be used for spelling practice and vocabulary building with lower-level students.
Check out these other 10 Activities for Teaching Private English Classes in Spain!
Overall, there are tons of activities you can do when teaching private English classes in Spain. You just have to be creative!
All of these tips will help you when trying to figure out how to teach private English classes in Spain for some extra money. Once you get set and have a solid schedule of consistent and reoccurring private classes, you will really start to get into a rhythm and teach some great private classes and make some decent extra money.
If you are moving to Spain to teach English, but have never taught before, take a look at these activities for teaching private English classes to help you get started!
2 Comments
Thanks for the info!
I’m a TEFL-ceritified ESL teacher with experience, coming from Poland. I am in Torremolinos, Malaga, currently— close to the two of you!
Your information is up-to-date and really helpful; I wanted to find the ‘craigslist’ equivalent to post my personal ad for private lessons.
I’ve never considered the Auxiliares de Conversation program before! But now, I will look into it. I didn’t know there was any legal, documented way for us to be here (Americans) to be honest. Puts me at ease a bit…. (although, I am not worried about this fact ;D)
Take Care!
Kristy
You’re welcome, and thank you! tusclasesparticulares.com is probably the best overall way to find private classes and is similar to craigslist.
The Auxiliares de Conversacion program is definitely the most popular way for Americans to live in Spain, and plenty of people do it every year. Since you have teaching experience, it will make doing it and finding private lessons easier. The biggest downside is that you can’t choose the exact city you will be living/teaching in.